GLENDALE – It’s been less than four years since Joc Pederson was a can’t-miss prospect at Triple-A, wondering aloud if the Dodgers would have to make a trade to fit him into their crowded outfield.

There’s still a crowd in the outfield, only now Pederson is the one in danger of getting lost. Matt Kemp hit his team-leading fourth home run of the Cactus League season on Sunday and is batting .423 (11 for 26). A healthy Andrew Toles has 10 hits in his first 27 spring at-bats (.370).

Meanwhile, Pederson is walking the hard road of redemption after losing his job as the Dodgers’ starting center fielder, spending two weeks in Triple-A, and slumping badly at the plate until the World Series. Pederson, 25, carries a .161 batting average and no home runs through his first 31 Cactus League at-bats. It’s early, but Pederson’s quest to steal time in left field looks like an uphill battle.

“Anything can carry over” from one season to the next, he said. “It’s just how you maintain it.”

Pederson said he spent the winter watching video of his plate appearances in the World Series, when he had six hits (including three home runs) in 18 at-bats. Had the Dodgers beaten the Houston Astros, Pederson was on a short list of contenders for the series Most Valuable Player award.

The video offered no new secrets. When Pederson was swinging well, his body was moving in the same direction from start to finish. His follow-through was natural. He didn’t “pull off” the ball as he swung, a bad habit that’s plagued Pederson before.

Glimpses of greatness, however well-timed, are nothing new for Pederson. Inconsistency is the only constant in his first three years a hitter.

Pederson’s defensive lapses in 2017 were new. The Dodgers’ in-house metrics revealed that he wasn’t getting the same quick jumps on fly balls that he did in 2016. Sometimes he would take less efficient routes. His range was shrinking.

Chris Taylor had never played the outfield before last year, but by the summer the Dodgers’ coaching staff trusted him over Pederson in center field.

“As any outfielder will tell you, your first step is in the right direction and you have the right angle, then your efficiency will follow that,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “So if your first step, your reaction time, isn’t right then there starts to be a banana to your angle to the baseball. It is about the hitting zone and getting that first step the right way, and your hips open in the right direction. Once that happens, it all follows as far as the efficiency.”

Roberts said he’s discussed the problem with Pederson. At its root, Roberts said that Pederson allowed his focus to slip on defense; he lacked purpose.

“There’s a focus factor, I think,” Pederson said. “You’ve got to stay locked in on every pitch. You could lose a game on one pitch, you could win a game on one pitch.”

For Pederson, fighting for a job before the season has begun, purpose abounds.

FEEL THE BERN

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Camelback Ranch in the morning. He was in Phoenix for a rally in the afternoon.

Wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers hat, Sanders chatted with several players and Roberts during a brief visit.

“My memories of the Dodgers go back a little bit before L.A.,” Sanders said. “We were in Brooklyn. The Dodgers were more than a team. They were a way of life. The team meant the world to the kids of Brooklyn. I’m sure that’s the case now.”

Sanders said he learned math by calculating batting averages for Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, “and the pitching records of Don Newcombe.” He was 16 when the franchise moved to Los Angeles, which he called “a devastating moment.”

“The idea that it was a private company who somebody could pick up and move away and break the hearts of millions of people was literally something we did not understand,” he said.

EXTRA SECURITY FOR SOLANO

Donovan Solano, a non-roster invitee, is wearing a protective shield over the left side of his face at the plate. The veteran infielder was squared up to bunt when he was hit in the face by a pitch during a January game in the Dominican Winter League.

Even Solano was surprised that he didn’t break a bone, or even lose a tooth.

“I’m just thankful that God protected me,” he said.

Solano admitted that he felt “a little scared” the first time he squared up to bunt in practice. The face shield has helped put his mind at ease.

ALSO

Chase Utley was set to return to the team after spending two days with family. Roberts said that Utley would be in Monday’s lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers. … Henry Owens, one of three pitchers the Dodgers optioned to the minor leagues Saturday, will be on a reliever’s program from now on. The left-hander has made 168 appearances in his professional career, all but one as a starter. … Owens pitched 1-2/3 Cactus League innings over two appearances. He walked four batters and allowed one run. … Kenley Jansen and Josh Fields are scheduled to pitch in a “B” game Monday against the Chicago White Sox at 10 a.m. Corey Seager is scheduled to play five innings at shortstop, his first action in the field. … Alex Wood’s next start will come in a minor league game Wednesday, Roberts said. Ross Stripling will start that day’s Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.